


in search of starlight memories

by experimentaldragonfire



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F, space adventures, started before s4 so i've gotta rewrite parts of it to fit better, sticks roughly close to canon but stuff is rearranged, the sci-fi canon divergence au nobody asked for
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:15:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22218403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/experimentaldragonfire/pseuds/experimentaldragonfire
Summary: In another life, Catra and Adora pointed their stolen skiff in the direction of the Crimson Waste, hotwired an ancient spaceship, and left Etheria in the dust. Or, the story of how two ex-Horde orphans (and the ragtag assortment of crew they pick up along the way) joyride across dimensions in pursuit of the distant memory of stars.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 30





	in search of starlight memories

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! So I may have started this before s4 took my half-baked idea of "what if mara's ship was still functional and could actually fly again" and actually made it a reality--but I still like my take on it anyway. I can't promise anything in the way of regular updates, but I'm going to edit/post what I have and hope this motivates me to write more! Hoping to get the next chapter (aka first proper chapter) out in a few days, but here's a prologue for you.  
> Thanks for reading! <3

Catra leaned back in the angular chair, her clawed feet stretched across the space in front of her so that her toenails _just_ caught the edge of the ship's console. In the dim twilight of the vessel’s cockpit, the shadows under her duochromatic eyes are sharp and pronounced. However, the veil of exhaustion cannot suppress the twinkle of excitement that has her nearly vibrating in her seat, despite her calculated expression of disinterested calm.

“How’re we doing? Everything looking good?” Adora emerged from the passage leading to the rest of the ship’s interior, sparse as it is. Even before all their alterations, the ship hadn’t been intended as anything more than a glorified shuttle, only meant for taking a couple passengers short distances. Now, carrying a full complement of over ten people, there was little space for luxury and not much to check up on.

“As much as I can tell. Entrapta’s not freaking out over anything, so that’s probably a good sign. Well,” Catra paused, side-eyeing the resident mad scientist and self-proclaimed First Ones’ Spaceship Expert, “not any more than usual.” Entrapta was too buried in her last-minute flight preparation to notice the conversation going on, strands of her hair working on multiple sections of the ship at once. Despite her usual tendency to “science first, safety checks later,” her co-scientist and Ship Expert in Training, Bow, had managed to convince her to test all the systems before the maiden voyage.

Adora’s soft laughter drew Catra’s attention away from her pre-flight jitters, and the cat woman shifted her gaze to look up at her friend, trying not to let her eyes linger on the way the cockpit lighting cast blues and purples through her golden-blonde hair. “Are you laughing at me?”

“No, no, just—how did we end up here, doing this? Did you ever even imagine, back in the Horde, when we were kids, that the defining moment of our lives would be stealing a spaceship and leaving the planet?”

“First of all, we’re not _stealing_ it, this thing hasn’t been used in like a thousand years. And what kind of a question is that? Did _you_ even know what a spaceship _was_ when we were kids? It’s not like the Horde was particularly forthcoming with information.”

“Yeah, but I guess what I meant was…for all our lives, it seemed like we only had the one path laid out for us—train, fight, get promoted, maybe get to command an army or two, until we’re inevitably killed honorably in battle. And then—when we came out here, it was like all the possibilities opened up. For the first time, I didn’t have a set goal, didn’t have anyone expecting me to be something. I could just be… _me_. I don’t think I’d ever really known who I was, before. I’m still finding out.”

Adora sighed, resting her fingers on the flat of the blade of the sword that she wore strapped to her back. Catra couldn’t guess what she was thinking, but her own thoughts were stuck on one particular phrase— _“I didn’t have anyone expecting me to be something”_. Adora had had a brief moment of freedom, before that damn sword had come out of the forest and given her some magical destiny she was supposed to adhere to. Well, Etheria’s savior or not, where they were going, hopefully nobody had heard of She-Ra—and Adora could be whoever she wanted to be.

“C’mere,” Catra said, and swiveled her position so that she crouched on the arm of the chair. She looked pointedly at the seat, and then back at Adora.

“You sure? You were so adamant that you got to be captain.” Nonetheless, Adora hesitantly lowered herself into the chair.

“ _Wow_ , this is shockingly uncomfortable.”

Catra snorted, then covered her mouth and looked around warily, hoping that nobody had heard the undignified outburst. Adora’s eyes crinkled around the corners, and she leaned her head against Catra’s knee, staring vaguely out the front window of the spaceship.

“What if this doesn’t work? What if we all freeze, or explode, or we get out there and there’s just nothing? What if we can’t get back, and we starve to death?”

“Adora, you _know_ there’s something out there. This spaceship had to come from somewhere, even if we’re ignoring all your weird She-Ra knowledge. And the old broadcast transmissions? Mara’s message? There’s a whole world outside Etheria—and I’m pretty sure that they’ve been doing this space travel thing for way longer than us.”

“But what if the ship explodes? Or we can’t get out of the planet’s gravity, or we burn up in the atmosphere…”

“I know Entrapta hasn’t ever _actually_ rebuilt a spaceship before, but do you really have so little faith in her abilities? I’m just saying, if there’s one chaotic science lady I’d trust to put me in space, it’d be her. Relax, Adora, it’ll all work out. And even if it doesn’t…isn’t it worth it to have the chance to see the stars?”

Adora hummed thoughtfully, and closed her eyes. Catra looked down at her, and hesitantly brought her hand to Adora’s hair, combing her claws gently through it in relaxing motions. The two stayed like that for a while, savoring the moment of calm amidst the pre-flight chaos.

“Okay!” shouted Entrapta, grinning widely enough to look mildly crazed. “Everything should be ready! I’ve checked the engines, reformatted the flight route calculators, tested the landing gear, made sure we’ve got enough fuel and food rations for at least six months in case we don’t run into anyone else right away, aaaand…all that’s left is to start the ship and go!” She clasped her hands (and her hair) and stared directly into Catra’s eyes.

“Alright, Entrapta—what did I say about personal space? That’s great.” Catra glanced down at Adora briefly, trying not to let her expression betray the shiver of nervous anticipation that ran down her spine. “So how do we start this thing?”

“Did I not tell you? I updated the launch sequence so it’s easy enough that even you can do it! Oh, um.” Entrapta noticed Catra’s glare. “It’s this button here.” She indicated a bright red button on the dashboard directly in front of the chair.

“Right, sure. Okay. So….that’ll take care of everything?”

“Yep!”

“Hmm.” Catra jumped down from her perch on the arm of the chair, reluctantly nudging Adora’s head off her knee. She stepped forward to stand at the console, and, after a bit of searching, located what she was looking for. Catra stabbed the button labeled “intercom” with one claw, and cleared her throat.

“Attention all crew, this is Captain Catra speaking. We’ll be leaving the planet shortly, so if you’re not secured into some kind of seat, you should probably do that. I don’t want to be dealing with the brain damage any of you might suffer from hitting the nearest hard object headfirst. Anyway, this is it--the moment we've been waiting for! See you…..in _space!_ ”

She let the intercom button go, and took a deep breath. Catra looked around the cockpit, at Entrapta (who was grabbing onto various handholds with all of her limbs and most of her hair), out the window, and finally, back at Adora, who came to stand just behind her. Catra wrapped her tail around Adora’s wrist and gave a gentle squeeze.

“This is it,” she repeated softly. Adora smiled gently, and reached out to grab her hand properly.

“This is it,” she agreed. Then, nudging her shoulder: “Do it.”

Catra took a deep breath and decisively pushed the red button. Immediately, a computerized voice rang out throughout the ship:

“Initiating launch sequence. Please ensure you are secured into your seat. Expect potential turbulence and disruption until the planet’s atmosphere is cleared. Launching in 60…59…58…”

The countdown echoed in the background as Catra retreated back to her captain’s chair, and Adora sat down in a seat up front and to the right of the viewing window. The occupants of the cockpit exchanged nervous (and excited) glances, and Catra’s knuckles went white on the arms of her chair as the rumble of the engines started up. Outside, the light of day was beginning to crawl over the Crimson Waste, turning the landscape from the rich purples of nighttime to a startling golden-orange. She took a moment to admire the sight, to dwell on thoughts of the land she had called her second real home, and to think back on the events that had led her here. To consider her experiences of the planet she was now leaving, for the unknown and to follow in the path of Adora’s mysterious past.

“10…9…8…”

Adora looked back at Catra, emotions heavy in her crystal blue eyes.

“7…6…5…”

“Hey, Catra—“

“4…3…”

“—I just wanted you to know that I—”

“2…1…LAUNCH”

Whatever Adora had meant to say was drowned out by the roar of the engines as they caught alight with a powerful burst of energy, shaking the ship free from its moorings and lighting up the surrounding area. The ship rose, briefly wobbly as it achieved flight, and then steadier and more determined. They began to pick up speed as they ascended, shifting to angle forwards and up, and Catra found herself closing her eyes as they broke through the clouds. The higher the ship got, the more it shook, buffeted by the wind and conflicting atmospheric currents. Tongues of flame danced across the windscreen, the ship hurtling further and further up, the light outside dimming as they passed through the edges of Etheria’s atmosphere, the engines fighting the planet’s gravity, and—

.

.

.


End file.
